A University of Iowa researcher has won a NASA award to design and prototype a smaller, more efficient X-ray telescope to aid in space navigation.
The telescope being developed by Jacob Payne, a graduate research assistant in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will focus on observing millisecond pulsars, which are small stars that spin rapidly and flash beams of radiation.
The new X-ray telescope also will support missions to the outer planets of the solar system by providing a more accurate method for continuously tracking an object’s location in space.
Payne’s inspiration for the telescope came from observations made in 2017 of millisecond pulsars that demonstrated the capabilities of the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope to use navigation-assisting technologies such as GPS. With the telescope, Payne aims to mimic NICER’s capabilities by creating a more compact and lightweight version.
Payne plans to examine data from NICER to further understand pulsars and their importance to assist with space navigation. Payne also will investigate how to use heat to form glass mirrors on the proposed telescope along with testing new materials and coatings, such as silicon-tungsten and beryllium-molybdenum, to determine whether different coating combinations would reflect more X-rays. This is important because reflecting more X-rays, specifically those in the same energy range that pulsars emit, allows for targets to appear brighter and be measured clearly.
Payne’s proposed telescope fits into NASA’s objectives of sending smaller, specialized satellites in orbit around Earth to complement large, multi-purpose spacecraft for space observation.
Payne credits the guidance he’s received from Casey DeRoo, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
“Honestly, this is a dream come true,” Payne says. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount from working with Professor DeRoo, and his insights have been key to helping me develop a clearer vision for the project and acquire the skills needed to move it forward. Thanks to the Optics and Astronomical Technologies Lab, I’ve also had hands-on opportunities to learn about everything from optics to nanofabrication, which has been invaluable.”
The three-year award from the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) program is for $150,000. DeRoo, Payne’s faculty advisor, says it’s the third FINESST award won by his research group in the past five years.
“Being selected for this award speaks to the quality of the work we do at Iowa, not only in scientific research we perform but also in student mentoring,” DeRoo says. “We’re an institution that prepares the next generation of scientists to work on big problems in physics, astronomy, and space research — that’s been a core part of our department’s mission dating back to James Van Allen.”